Barclays said that it looked into the possibility of introducing a number of tablets to its branches, but concluded that the iPad best catered for its needs.

"We investigated a number of different tablet options and in this instance, we concluded that iPads were the best solution for their specific needs. We are now starting to use these across Barclays branches in the UK," said a spokesperson for the bank.

Mortgage Brain, which scans the property market for the best available options, is a joint venture between six banks, the others being RBS, Virgin Money, Santander, Lloyds TSB and Nationwide.

Barclays said that the iPads will also "assist our branch colleagues to interact with customers, improving the customer experience".